These 31 Up-and-Coming Artists Are Defining a New Era of Music

Kelela performing at the Broccoli City Music Festival on April 14, 2014, in Washington, D.C.

Creative Commons

With music being downloaded, streamed, watched on YouTube or at a music festival, spun at the club and played on vinyl, the millennial generation has come of age at a time when there are more ways than ever to experience the soundtrack of their lives. And a budding group of innovative, young black artists are taking the helm as tastemakers, giving us ample cause to celebrate. Here are 31 of these breakouts on the rise in hip-hop, R&B, neo-soul, rock, pop and electronic. They’re all regulars on the playlists of The Root’s under-age-30 staffers and will surely be welcome additions to yours. Happy listening!

Hails from: TorontoStyle: Psychedelic, soulful hip-hop, R&BInfluences: D’Angelo, Outkast, Erykah BaduDid you know? The duo bonded over Wiccan ideology and started collaborating at age 14. They continued to write verses and rhymes individually even after Champ moved 37 miles away.Check out:The Cover Up

Hails from: ChicagoStyle: Amy Winehouse, Missy Elliott, Lauryn HillInfluences: Amy Winehouse, Gil Scott-Heron, Billie HolidayDid you know? Not only is she a singer, rapper and songwriter, but she also directs. She directed the music video for her song “Escape,” featuring Saba.Check out:Soular System

Hails from: Calumet, Ill.Style: Confessional R&B, Lauryn HillInfluences: TLC, Da BratDid you know? She picked up rapping by accident when her brother put on a beat from Clipse’s “Grindin’” and she started putting words together that rhymed. Her brother recorded Home’s performance and posted it to Facebook. The response was positive. She continues to record with her brother in the basement of their dad’s house.Check out:Winter’s Diary, Alter Ego and Blunts and Ballads

Hails from: Maplewood, N.J.Style: Neo-soul, alternative R&BInfluences: Billie Holiday, Wu-Tang Clan, Jamiroquai, CommonDid you know? She was raised a Muslim. She is also a self-described “science nerd” and an accomplished gymnast.Check out:See.SZA.Run,S and Z

Based in: Brooklyn, N.Y.Style: Cinematic chamber rock, soul, bluegrass, Afrobeat, East Asian polyphonyInfluences: Esperanza Spalding, Nina SimoneDid you know? They met serendipitously when Charles, who was studying at the Berklee College of Music, was playing violin at Copley Square in Boston. Whitney approached her and suggested they jam together. They became fast friends. After graduating, Charles and Whitney moved to Brooklyn to start their band. They were eventually discovered by Opening Ceremony in a New York City subway station.Check out:Broke & Baroque

Hails from: ChicagoStyle: Hip-hopInfluences: KRS-One, Mobb Deep, Nas, Jay ZDid you know? His father, who is Ghanaian, is an economics professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Mensa’s mother, who is white, works in the Chicago Public Schools system.Check out:Straight Up and Innanetape

Based in: Brooklyn, N.Y.Style: Electro-soulInfluences: Sade; the Fugees; Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young; the Beatles; Janet JacksonDid you know? The duo met at a party in Brooklyn at a spot they call “the Clubhouse,” an old Victorian Tudor that serves as a shared space and recording studio for a collective of local artists.Check out:Blah Blah Blah and His and Hers

Hails from: Glendale, Calif.Style: Garage/punk, Jimi Hendrix, the Black Keys, Bad Brains, Black FlagInfluences: The White StripesDid you know? They recorded their first album together when Mikaiah was only 15 and Anaiah was 12.Check out:Sincerely Sorry

Hails from: ChicagoStyle: Chief Keef, Drake, Jay Z, Bump JInfluences: Lil Wayne, Gucci ManeDid you know? His goal is to be considered one of the greatest rappers of all time, like rap legends Tupac and Biggie.Check out:Free Crack and The Book

Hails from: LondonStyle: Futuristic soul, electronicaInfluences: Oumou Sangaré, Tracy Chapman, Michael JacksonDid you know? Sisay’s dad would buy a new CD every week on his way home to expose Sisay and his brothers to diverse music.Check out:Sundanza and Dual

Hails from: Fairfield, Calif.Style: Hip-hopInfluences: Hyphy, jerk music, E-40, Too $hort, Keak Da SneakDid you know? Woods dropped out of high school at 14 to pursue his music full time. He doesn’t smoke, drink or do drugs.Check out:Gang Forever

Hails from: Oslo, NorwayStyle: Pop, reggae, West African dance, the PoliceInfluences: Bob Marley, Michael JacksonDid you know? The duo used to go by the name of Envy but changed their name to “Nico & Vinz” after signing a record deal with Warner Bros. in order to avoid confusion with other groups of the same name.Check out: The Magic Soup and the Bittersweet and Dreamworks: Why Not Me

Hails from: Columbia, S.C.Style: Electronic, synthpop, chillwaveInfluences: Animal Collective, Daft Punk, J DillaDid you know? He has a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from the University of South Carolina.Check out:Body Angles, Freaking Out, Causers of This, Underneath the Pine and Anything in Return

Hails from: Los AngelesStyle: Pop, R&BInfluences: Christina Aguilera, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, SadeDid you know? She voiced for the filmPolar Express and had a recurring role on the TV show Two and a Half Men.Check out:Aquarius

Hails from: Villa, AntiguaStyle: SocaInfluences: Machel MontanoDid you know? He is one of five artists selected by Antigua and Barbuda’s Cabinet and the Ministry of Culture to promote the twin-island nation.Check out:Cya Fail Me, Roaming and Not Afraid

Based in: SeattleStyle: Alternative hip-hop, neo-soul, R&BInfluences: Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, John ColtraneDid you know? The duo are such big fans of Badu that they released a mixtape inspired by the singer. They met during college while attending the University of Washington and started dating and making music together afterward.Check out:awE naturalE